Great book! I married into a Polish family and love to bake. These recipes look delicious and are easy to follow. I enjoy the little history notes as well. My husband was happy to see this and excited for me to bake some new recipes. I will definitely be buying the print book

As someone who has a heritage that includes Polish influences, this cookbook was like a glimpse into my grandmother's mental cookbook. You know the one. The delicious meals that Grandma made out of a bit of this and a bit of that, with never a recipe in sight. Those recipes and means that vanished when Grandma left us.

The step-by-step instructions with pictures had me in a swoon. I would buy this book just for the step-by-step instructions and pictures in the sourdough section alone!

My best friend is of Polish descent so this book is something dear to my heart. I’ll be honest this isn’t going to be a book for someone that’s new to baking. The recipes are complex but written in an easy to follow way. They are worth the time to learn how to make these delicacies.

I loved this book. Having polish heritage and enjoying polish dishes I was very interested to learn about things that have net been passed down in my own family recipes. I have a long list now to try. Thank you for sharing your stories and the history of item. Loved reading this cookbook which often gets overlooked as a reading category

Within the pages of Dobre Dobre, you will find an amazing assortment of European baked goods, each one accompanied by an introductory story about the origin of the dish or a memory the author has of enjoying the dish. Normally I like to make a list of the handful of recipes I want to attempt in my own kitchen, but there are so many recipes to choose from- delicious breads and cakes and pastries, that it will be hard to narrow my choices down and I am just going to bookmark every recipe! The first ones I plan on trying are the Lekach (honey cake), the 'Szarlotka' I & II (Shortbread apple cake and Jewish apple pie) and the coconut macaroons.

*digital ARC from netgalley but definitely on my need-to-own physical cookbook list!

I enjoyed reading about how Laurel found herself moving to Prague from Boston, and then to Poland because she didn’t like the way Czech pickles tasted! She trained as a baker in Paris, got married, moved to Berlin and started her bakery.

She begins the first chapter with explanations on working with the doughs – preferments, rising, shaping, baking, checking for doneness, then cooling and storing the bread. There are step-by-step photos for the various doughs, and I really find that helpful.

Measurements are given in both grams and ounces (metric and Imperial).

The recipes that intrigue me the most in this cookbook include:

Lithuanian Black Bread
Plummy Yeasted Tray Cake
Fritter-Style Apple Pancakes
Chanterelle and Smoky Cheese Danishes
Jewish Apple Pie
Molded Walnut Cookies
Krakower Raisin Cheesecake

The Jewish baking recipes in this book of course include Bialys, Challah, Hamantaschen, Babka and Lekach.

The accompanying food photographs are plentiful and beautiful.

Gorgeous book, recipes seem to have a mix of skill levels, which means for me, as a novice baker, that I can use this book for a long time while I work up my skill levels. Can’t wait to test some of these out! Will be preordering a physical copy.

Thank you Netgalley, Chronicle Books, and Laurel Kratochvila for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is so beautiful!

I don't have much experience with Polish food, but this book taught me so much. The photography is stunning, and was making my mouth water as I was flipping through the pages. The step by step photos for some of the recipes is something I wish more cookbooks had.

The explanation of the ingredients and their differences was really helpful, and I loved the tips scattered throughout the book. There are detailed directions at the beginning of each section too.

The directions are fairly clear and easy to understand. I think an advanced beginner could tackle any of these recipes with no issues.

I don't think I've ever seen this wide variety of breads and baked goods in one book. There were so many different kinds of bread, and they all looked so delicious. There is everything from rustic bread, to rolls, to bagels. Don't even get me started on the pastries. My stomach was growling the whole time while browsing that section. The cakes and cookies looked divine, and I think I heard angels singing in the background.

This cookbook is a must buy if you enjoy baking. It's so very well rounded, and there was a great balance of sweet and savory treats. I bed this would be an amazing resource for your holiday baking as well. Surprise you friends and family with unique treats they have never had before.

My father was Polish. My mother wasn’t and we ate almost no Polish food in my house. Even so, I joined a Polish recipe group on Facebook and when I this book was offered to me, I knew I wanted to review it.

This book is full of recipes to intrigue Polish cooks and wannabes. The author explains that she had moved to Prague from the Boston area and was in search of a good half-sour pickle. (I know the problem, myself. My father’s and my favorite kind of pickle is hard to find where I live now.) She was advised to go to Poland and while there she fell in love with their baking.

With these Chapters, there must be several recipes that you’ll want to try:
Chleb: Breads, Rolls, & Bagels
Drozdze: Yeasted Buns & Breads
Ciastka: Slab Cakes, Layer Cakes & Bundts
Ciasteczka: Cookies, Small-Bites & Wafers
Ptysie, Bezy & Serniki: Meringues & Cheesecakes
Extras: Fillings, Creams, & Toppings

I know there are quite a few recipes that I want to try. And the gorgeous photos make everything look so delicious. The problem will be where to start. And yes, I will be telling people in my Polish recipe group about this book.